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HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) - When the Feb. 10, 2013, tornado struck Hattiesburg, among the many buildings that were destroyed were ones belonging to the American Red Cross of South Mississippi and DREAM of Hattiesburg Inc.

Nearly two years later, and within the first two days of December, both nonprofit organizations held ribbon cuttings to celebrate their moves to new buildings.

“We’re very excited to be here,” Jay Huffstatler, executive director, Red Cross of South Mississippi, said of the agency’s new digs. “This was a donut shop 20 years ago. We’ve got a little drive-thru on the side.”

Red Cross might not use the drive-thru but officials made the 2,200-square-foot space their own by putting on a new roof, knocking down a few walls, putting in new carpet and repainting.

The organization held a ribbon cutting Dec. 1 to introduce the public to the new building. Staff and volunteers actually moved into the new space about two months prior but they were working on folding chairs and tables until the nice furniture arrived.

The agency spent the past year and eight months in offices in the Hattiesburg-Forrest County Industrial Park.

“We were lucky the national organization had the warehouse that was in South Hattiesburg in the industrial park,” Huffstatler said. “But that lease did not get renewed. Now, we are very excited to be here on Hardy Street, right in the middle of the action.”

Huffstatler said Red Cross of South Mississippi owns its new space.

“The insurance adjuster took several months, but we were able to use all of those (insurance) funds to purchase and renovate this facility,” he said.

The Red Cross in Hattiesburg is part of a chapter that serves 28 counties. In Hattiesburg, Red Cross employs three full-time staff and works with about 300 to 400 volunteers.

The old building that was destroyed by the tornado had been donated to the agency.

“We had outgrown it and we needed some renovation,” Huffstatler said. “(The tornado) was not the most ideal opportunity to get a new building, but we are excited to be in a more visible location.”

Huffstatler said the new location already has paid off.

“We put some letters up on the sign out front that said ‘New volunteers welcome,’ and we got six new volunteers,” he said.

Huffstatler said having centrally located offices again also will be beneficial to the volunteers.

“Having been in the southern part of town - some of our older volunteers couldn’t make the drive,” he said. “It (also) helps with our fundraising activities if people can see us in action and see our vehicles going out to help people.”

Huffstatler said while the new offices and location are certainly nice, they’re not what the Red Cross is about.

“Our volunteers thrive on helping people,” he said. “We’re not a facility. The Red Cross is a movement of individuals who care about people.”

DREAM of Hattiesburg Inc. has dealt with some tragedies in recent years. The drug and alcohol prevention group originally had offices on Adeline Street until an air conditioner fire destroyed them.

Then the organization moved to two locations - 200 W. Pine St., which held offices and a resource center, and 707 Hutchinson Ave., where youth and outreach programs were held. It was the Hutchinson Avenue location that was ripped apart by the tornado.

“The biggest mess was that it rained for a week (after the tornado),” said Executive Director Linda Vasquez. “We had things missing. The destruction was throughout.”

It was a different day for DREAM on Dec. 2, when it held a ribbon-cutting to welcome the public to its two new buildings on 614 W. Pine St.

The first building, right on Pine Street, is 3,000 square feet and features a lobby area filled with educational and resource material. There is plenty of room to display it and room for people to browse, Vasquez said.

“No one really understood before what kind of resources we had, and now you can walk right in and see it,” said Vasquez.

Farther into the building is an airy, light-filled space with glassed-in offices along the walls.

Vasquez said it’s a big change from the offices the organization had on West Pine Street.

“(That) basement was kind of closed in - like a dungeon and a cave,” she said.

The 6,000-square-foot building in back is being used for tutoring and other youth and outreach programs. Vasquez said it’s a much better situation than what DREAM had on Hutchinson Street, in part, because it’s farther from traffic.

“We were able to get into the tutoring building first and (the kids) loved it,” she said. “It’s really safe for the children to get in and out of their cars and walk into the building. And there’s plenty of parking for the volunteers.”

Vasquez said the location of the offices also is better for DREAM.

“We looked at several buildings and the cost was a lot,” she said. “We wanted the best fit for our agency. We wanted to be in the community where the individuals we serve are.”

Vasquez said DREAM bought the two buildings with a combination of insurance money, proceeds from selling the Hutchinson location and donations.

“It took us almost eight months to find the facility and a year and nine months to move in,” Vasquez said.

The organization’s five full-time and two part-time employees, plus volunteers, spent the nearly two years since the tornado in space farther up Hutchinson Avenue donated by the Hattiesburg Jaycees.

Vasquez said she, DREAM staff and volunteers learned a lot during their nearly two-year wait to get a new building.

“That people are good and have a kind heart - that’s really what I feel,” she said. “Even though you’re in a difficult time, care for your neighbor. It’s important, because things can be replaced, but people can’t.”